“Independence Day: Resurgence” earned $4 million from approximately 3,200 locations on Thursday night.
“Resurgence” is the sequel to 1996’s “Independence Day,” which was produced for $75 million and made $817 million worldwide. It opened to $50 million on the July 4th weekend that year, and the sequel is expected to hit the same number this year.
However, “Resurgence” was made for $165 million. Currently, it holds a score of 46 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Independence Day: Resurgence,” again directed by Roland Emmerich, features much of the original cast, including, Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox and Bill Pullman, along with new addition Liam Hemsworth.
Blake Lively‘s “The Shallows” swam to a solid $1.33 million at the Thursday previews, on track for a $7 million to $8 million opening weekend on a $17 million budget.
The low-budget PG-13 shark attack thriller stars Lively as a surfer and is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, whose 2009 “Orphan” reflected his foray into Hitchcockian suspense.
STX Entertainment’s “Free State of Jones” starring Matthew McConaughey is also being released in theaters this Friday.
The Civil War-era movie about Newton Knight’s armed rebellion against the Confederacy should come in above $10 million from 2,815 screens. It was made for $50 million.
Reviews are currently at 34 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Nicolas Winding Refn‘s horror film “The Neon Demon” is also opening via Broad Green and Amazon. The film had its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival and is looking to come in around $3 million.
The film stars Elle Fanning as an aspiring model in Los Angeles. “Neon Demon” is only opening in 770 locations.
“Finding Dory” is expected to keep swimming this weekend, looking to take in another $60 million after its record-breaking start last week.
New wide releases “Shallows” and “Jones” will struggle to enter the top five, competing against strong return performers, including “Central Intelligence” and “The Conjuring 2.”